Time-warped play rings in new season, explores sexual progression

The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) Theatre presents Caryl Churchill’s “Cloud 9” for its first production of the 2006-2007 season. Previews begin Sept. 16, with the show opening Sept. 20. All performances will be in the Performing Arts Center at UMKC.

“Cloud 9” is a satirical farce that challenges the stereotypes and preconceived ideas of modern society. Act I of the play begins in Africa, with the cast living during the repressed British Victorian era. In Act II the same characters, who aged 25 years to the plot’s 100 years, find themselves experiencing the sexual fluidity of 1979 London.

By setting the production in both late-18th Century colonial Africa and late-20th Century London, Churchill is able to demonstrate the oppressive effects of the British Victorian era on the human psyche. As it progresses, “Cloud 9” forces its audience to defy conventional thinking through the gender-bending roles its cast resumes.

“With little regard for realistic depiction of time or place, she (Churchill) is free to incisively examine the heyday of the British Empire, and the rootless search for identity and relevance after Victoria is long gone,” Mark Robbins, director of “Cloud 9,” said. “Along the way, sexual politics are brought sharply into play, as some men play female characters and vice-versa.”

Tickets for the performances can be purchased at the Central Ticket Office at (816) 235-6222 or by visiting www.umkc.edu/theatre (see Playbill).

Preview:

Saturday, Sept. 16 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 17 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 19 7:30 p.m.

Opens:

Wednesday, Sept. 20 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 21 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 22 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 23 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 26 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 27 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 28 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 29 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 30 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 1 2:00 p.m.

The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), one of four University of Missouri campuses, is a public university serving more than 14,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. UMKC engages with the community and economy based on a three-part mission: visual and performing arts, health sciences, and urban affairs.

# # #

This information is available to people with speech or hearing impairments by calling Relay Missouri at (800) 735-2966 (TT) or (800) 735-2466 (voice).